The Conscious Action Podcast by Brian Berneman

Addiction affects far more than the individual - it impacts families, relationships and entire communities. Yet many families are still told that their only option is "tough love," waiting for a loved one to hit rock bottom before change can happen.
In this insightful conversation, Brian Berneman is joined by addiction therapist and educator Amber Hollingsworth, creator of the popular YouTube channel 'Put the Shovel Down'. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience, Amber shares why traditional approaches often fail and how families can become powerful catalysts for change without judgment, confrontation or force.
Together, they explore the difference between "pushing" and "pulling," how to help someone find their own motivation for change and why compassion is often more effective than criticism. They also discuss generational patterns of addiction, family dynamics, identity, healing and the ripple effect that occurs when one person begins to transform.
Whether you are supporting a loved one through addiction, navigating challenging family dynamics or simply interested in human behaviour and personal growth, this episode offers practical wisdom and a hopeful perspective on recovery and change.
In this episode, you'll learn:
• Why "tough love" often creates more resistance than recovery
• The powerful "Pull, Don't Push" approach to helping loved ones change
• How to reduce defensiveness and create space for honest conversations
• Why reinforcing a person's strengths can be more effective than criticism
• The role of family systems and generational patterns in addiction
• How healing one person can positively impact an entire community
• Why addiction is far more solvable than most people believe
A compassionate and empowering conversation about recovery, connection and the human capacity for change.
To learn more about Amber find her on Facebook, Youtube and https://www.familyrecoveryacademy.online/.
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Ready to embark on your journey to wellbeing and conscious living?
✨ Transform your life
🟡 Experience transformative events
💥 Explore holistic therapies for healing & mindful living
🙋‍♀️ Book Brian as a speaker to inspire your audience
🟠 Support your employees' physical & mental wellbeing

Connect with Brian:
Website | https://www.brianberneman.com/
Instagram | @brianberneman
LinkedIn | @brianberneman
Facebook | @brianberneman

In this powerful episode of The Conscious Action Podcast, Brian Berneman sits down with parenting alchemist, speaker and author Jacqlin Richards for a deeply honest conversation about parenting, trauma, healing and the journey from survival to self-awareness.
Drawing from her own life experiences (including adoption, childhood trauma, addiction, postnatal depression and profound personal transformation) Jacqlin shares how her greatest wounds became the foundation of her life's work supporting parents and families.
Together, Brian and Jacqlin explore why so much parenting advice fails, the difference between knowledge and capacity, how unresolved childhood experiences shape our relationships and why perfection is one of the greatest obstacles to authentic parenting.
They discuss the importance of nervous system regulation, repairing after mistakes, honest communication with children and how parents can break generational cycles by reconnecting with their own intuition and humanity.
Whether you are a parent, planning to become one, healing your relationship with your own parents or simply interested in personal growth and conscious living, this conversation offers valuable insights into how we can transform pain into wisdom and create healthier relationships with ourselves and others.
In this episode, you'll discover:
• How childhood wounds continue to shape adult behaviour and relationships
• The difference between parenting knowledge and parenting capacity
• Why perfection is hurting parents and children alike
• The power of repair, authentic apologies and honest communication
• How to break generational patterns and heal family dynamics
• Why nervous system regulation matters more than parenting strategies
• The role of intuition in conscious parenting
• How self-awareness can transform the way we relate to ourselves and others
• Practical ways to build resilience, connection and trust within families
Jacqlin also shares insights from her new book, F*ck Up Your Kids with Grace and Humour, a refreshing and compassionate invitation for parents to let go of perfection, embrace their humanity and parent from a place of connection rather than fear.
For more about Jacqlin find her on Instagram and Facebook.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review and share it with someone who may benefit from this conversation.
#ConsciousActionPodcast #Parenting #TraumaHealing #PersonalGrowth #ConsciousParenting
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_________

Ready to embark on your journey to wellbeing and conscious living?
✨ Transform your life
🟡 Experience transformative events
💥 Explore holistic therapies for healing & mindful living
🙋‍♀️ Book Brian as a speaker to inspire your audience
🟠 Support your employees' physical & mental wellbeing

Connect with Brian:
Website | https://www.brianberneman.com/
Instagram | @brianberneman
LinkedIn | @brianberneman
Facebook | @brianberneman

Brian Berneman is joined by Allura Halliwell to share the spontaneous, non-drug-induced experience that changed everything: an out-of-body merging with source that left her unable to recognize herself, her preferences or her old life. From that disorienting awakening, Allura developed the Consciousness Method, a framework for bridging deep spiritual realization with the practical reality of being human.
Together, Brian and Allura explore the "interface," the space between our inner awareness and our outer life, and how unconscious patterns keep us looping in old wounds. Allura introduces the three core wounds she sees underlying almost all human suffering: feeling unloved, unworthy and unknown. 
Rather than avoiding the pain these wounds create, she shares why she sees pain itself as a portal back to wholeness and how meeting it directly (rather than the suffering that comes from avoiding it) builds a felt sense of internal safety that ripples out into how we experience the world.
This conversation moves through awakening, integration and the shift from feeling like a victim of reality to becoming its conscious co-creator. It's a rich, honest look at what it actually takes to live an awakened life, not just have one.
In this episode:
Allura's spontaneous out-of-body experience and its disorienting aftermath
What the Consciousness Method is and how it works
The three core wounds: unloved, unworthy, unknown
Why pain (not suffering) can be a doorway to healing
Moving from victimhood to conscious co-creation
For more about Allura, find her on Instagram, https://allurahalliwell.com/ and join her in person retreat in Auckland on https://auckland.sovereignstateofbeingretreats.com/
Support the show
Support the show

_________

Ready to embark on your journey to wellbeing and conscious living?
✨ Transform your life
🟡 Experience transformative events
💥 Explore holistic therapies for healing & mindful living
🙋‍♀️ Book Brian as a speaker to inspire your audience
🟠 Support your employees' physical & mental wellbeing

Connect with Brian:
Website | https://www.brianberneman.com/
Instagram | @brianberneman
LinkedIn | @brianberneman
Facebook | @brianberneman

What if fertility isn't just about hormones or reproductive health, but a reflection of your entire life?
In this insightful conversation, Brian Berneman is joined by fertility coach Sonia Ribas, founder of The Fertility Solution, to explore a truly holistic approach to fertility and conception. Drawing on over 16 years of experience and having supported women bringing more than 700 babies into the world, Sonia shares why fertility is what she calls a "luxury function", something the body prioritizes only when it feels safe, nourished and supported.
Together, Brian and Sonia discuss the powerful connection between stress, the nervous system, emotional wellbeing, nutrition and fertility. They explore how chronic fight-or-flight states can impact conception, why feeling safe is essential for the body to move from survival into creation and how personalized, sustainable lifestyle changes can transform fertility outcomes.
Sonia also shares her practical "Detox, Nourish, Flow" framework, simple nervous system regulation techniques, nutritional guidance and the importance of addressing limiting beliefs, emotional patterns and the deeper stories we carry. The conversation touches on secondary infertility, the pressures many parents face and how fertility can become a doorway to greater health, balance and self-understanding.
Whether you're trying to conceive, supporting someone on their fertility journey, or simply interested in the connection between mind, body and wellbeing, this episode offers valuable insights and practical tools for creating the conditions for life to flourish.
In this episode, you'll discover:
• Why fertility is a "luxury function" and what that means for your body
• The impact of chronic stress and nervous system dysregulation on conception
• How the body prioritizes survival before reproduction
• Sonia's holistic "Detox, Nourish, Flow" framework
• Simple practices to help your body feel safe and supported
• The role of nutrition, inflammation, sleep and emotional wellbeing in fertility
• How limiting beliefs and emotional patterns can influence your fertility journey
• Why sustainable lifestyle changes matter more than perfection
• Understanding secondary infertility through a holistic lens
To learn more about Sonia Ribas find her on Instagram and thefertilitysolution.com
If this conversation resonates with you, please share it with someone who may benefit from it and leave a review to help more people discover the podcast.
Support the show
Support the show

_________

Ready to embark on your journey to wellbeing and conscious living?
✨ Transform your life
🟡 Experience transformative events
💥 Explore holistic therapies for healing & mindful living
🙋‍♀️ Book Brian as a speaker to inspire your audience
🟠 Support your employees' physical & mental wellbeing

Connect with Brian:
Website | https://www.brianberneman.com/
Instagram | @brianberneman
LinkedIn | @brianberneman
Facebook | @brianberneman

In this episode of the Conscious Action Podcast, Brian Berneman is joined by Tinsley Galyean a researcher, author, technologist and founder of Curious Learning for a profound conversation about curiosity, learning, limiting beliefs, compassion and the transformative power of literacy.
Tinsley shares his fascinating journey from studying computer science, mathematics, engineering and visual arts at Massachusetts Institute of Technology to working with global media companies, educational technology and eventually launching initiatives focused on ethics, human development and global literacy. Together, Brian and Tinsley explore how curiosity can become a gateway for personal growth, self-reflection and social transformation.
The conversation dives into Tinsley’s deeply personal experiences, including how overcoming childhood fear through self-experimentation sparked a lifelong exploration of mindfulness, meditation and the ability to reshape our beliefs and inner world. They also discuss the importance of recognizing and reframing limiting beliefs (both individually and collectively) and how curiosity can help us remain open, compassionate and adaptable in a rapidly changing world.
Tinsley also shares the inspiring work of Curious Learning, an international nonprofit helping children in underserved communities learn to read through localized mobile learning apps in over 60 languages. From villages in Ethiopia to communities in Nigeria and South Africa, the impact of literacy is creating ripple effects far beyond education, empowering children, transforming communities, reducing child marriage and opening new possibilities for future generations.
The episode also explores:
The difference between learning and traditional education
Why curiosity enhances the brain’s ability to learn
The role of technology and devices in conscious education
How mindfulness and self-reflection can transform our lives
The importance of kindness, compassion and understanding others
Tinsley also speaks about his book Reframe, which blends travel memoir, spiritual reflection, neuroscience, literacy and practical frameworks for identifying and transforming limiting beliefs.
This is a rich and inspiring conversation about human potential, conscious learning, and the possibility of creating meaningful change, both within ourselves and in the world around us.
Support the show
Support the show

_________

Ready to embark on your journey to wellbeing and conscious living?
✨ Transform your life
🟡 Experience transformative events
💥 Explore holistic therapies for healing & mindful living
🙋‍♀️ Book Brian as a speaker to inspire your audience
🟠 Support your employees' physical & mental wellbeing

Connect with Brian:
Website | https://www.brianberneman.com/
Instagram | @brianberneman
LinkedIn | @brianberneman
Facebook | @brianberneman